Engine.



Patented July 4,- I899. G. DE CAMP.

v No. 628,397.

E N G l N E.

(Application filed May 81, 1898.)

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No. 628,397. Patented my 4, I899.

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nnnn n NITED STATES P TENT FFICE.

GEORGE DE CAMP, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ENG

INE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,397, dated July 4, 1899.

Application filed May 3 1, 1 8 9 8.

T on whom, it 777/667] concern: 7

Be it known that I, GEORGE DE CAMP, a

citizen of the United States, residing at the' city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Engine, of which the following is such a f ull,clear,and exact description as will enable any one'skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

- My invention relates to that type of engine shown in Patent No. 524,054, of February 6, 1894, granted to La Motte O. Atwood and Nathan W. Perkins.

The object of my invent-ion is to render the type of engine above referred to more efficient and also to improve on the mechanical construction of the same.

My invention consists in providing the stationary pistons with exhaust-ports and in other novel features and details of construction, all of which are described in the following specification and pointed out in claims affixed hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an engine made in accordance with my invention, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section of the casing, the moving parts being shown in elevation. Figs. 3 and 4 are a top and a side elevation, respectively, of one of the station'- ary pistons; and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the movable piston. 7

Like marks of reference refer to similar parts in the several views of the drawings.

10 is a suitable casing, preferably cast in one piece, havinga removable side 11, Fig. 2, to give access to its interior. In the easing 10 are steam-passages 12 and 13, preferably forming onecont'inuous passage. An opening 14 is formed inthe casing,which com municates with the passages 12 and 13 and into which the pipe feeding the steam or air to the engine is secured.

In each end of the casing 10 is an opening through which project pistons 15 and 16, carried by plates 17 andl8, respectively, that are removably secured to the ends of the easing. In the piston 15 and plate 17 is a passage 19, which communicates with the pas- Serial No. 632,157. (No model.)

similar passage 20, which communicates with the passage 13. Opening downwardly from the passage 19 in the piston 15 is a port 21, and adjacent thereto is an exhaust-port 22. Opening upwardly from the passage 20 in the piston 16 is a port 23, and adjacent thereto an exhaust-port 24. I prefer to divide the ports 21, 22, 23, and 24 each into two parts by strips 25 (best shown in Fig. 3) in order to make the wear on the pistons more uniform. At each side of the ports 21 and 23 the pistons 15 and 16 are provided with packing-rings 26.

The pistons 15 and 16 fit in horizontal cylinders 29 and 30, respectively, which are carried by and preferably cast integral with a vertical cylinder 31, provided with removable heads 32. The upper end of the cylinder 31 communicates with the cylinder 29 through a port or passage 33 and with the cylinder through a port or passage 34. The lower end of the cylinder 31 communicates with the cylinder 29 through a port or passage 35 and with the cylinder 30 through a port or passage 36. In the cylinder 31 is a sliding piston 37, provided near each end with packing-rings 38. Through the center of the piston 37 is an opening 39, Fig. 5. The ends of the piston 37 are preferably made hollow in order to decrease its weight. Passing through the opening 39 in the piston 37 is a wrist-pin 41, which is carriedon a disk 42, secured to the driving-shaft 43, passing through the rear of the casing 10. The disk 42 is held in place by a ring 44, bolted to the back of casing 10.

45 is an exhaust-pipe to allow the escape of the steam from the casing.

The operation of my'engine is as follows: When the cylinders are moved a slight distance in the direction ofthe arrow in Fig. 1, the port 23 is brought into communication with the passage 34 and the steam passes through said passage and between the upper end of the cylinder-31 and the piston 37, forcing the said piston down and the cylinders farther in the direction of the arrow. As soon as a quarter of a revolution is completed, when the piston 37 will be in a central position and the cylinders in their extreme position on the right, the port 33 is opened, admitting steam between the end of the cylinder 29 and the sage 12, and in the piston 16 and plate 18 a piston 15.

This forces the cylinder in the op- V posite direction to the arrow, while at the same time the steam above the piston 37 aids this movement by pressing down on the said piston. When a second quarter-revolution is completed and the parts are in the same position as in Fig. 1, except that the piston 37 is at the bottomof the cylinder 31, the steam is cut off from port 34. The spaces above the piston 37 and between the end of the cylinder 29 and piston 15 are now both full of steam; but as the pressure of the steam between the end of the cylinder 29 and the piston 15 is actin g on the same wrist-pin in its most efiective position and that above the piston 37 in the least eifective position the cylinders are moved onward in the opposite direction to thearrow. As soon as a slight movement is made in this direction the steam from above the piston 37 isexhausted through the passage 34 and port 24 into the casing, that in the cylinder 29 following through port 33, and steam is admitted below the piston 37 through the passage35, driving the said piston upward and completing the third quarter of a revolution. As soon as the third quarter of a revolution is completed the port 36 is opened, admitting steam between the end of the cylinder 30 and the piston 16, again driving the cylinder in the direction of the arrow and completing the revolution, at the same time being assisted by the pressure of the steam under the piston 37. The parts are now in the position shown in the drawings, the spaces below the piston 37 and between the end of the cylinder 30 and the piston 16 being. both full of steam. As at the end of the half-revolw tion, the pressure tending to drive the parts forwai'dthat betweeen the piston 16 and cylinder 30 in this instance-is acting on the wrist-pin in its most effective position and that tending to retard itthat below the piston 37in the least efiec'tive position, and the parts are moved in the direction of the arrow. As soon as a slight movement is made steam is admitted above the piston 37 through the passage 34 and that below the said'piston and in the cylinder 30 is exhausted through the passage 35 and port 22,the above-described operation being repeated. The steam passes from the casing 10 through exhaust-pipe 45.

From the aboveit will be seen that practically all the force of the steam is utilized in driving the engine forward, while in previous engines of this type exhausting through the sliding piston it has been found impossible to exhaust properly from all the cylinders, and a large part of the power is wasted in compressing steam in some of the cylinders. Another advantage of my engine is that the stationary pistons can be removed without disturbingthe steam-pipe connections.

2. In an engine a suitable casing, inwardlyprojecting stationary pistons, supply-ports in said pistons, exhaust-ports also in said pistons, side cylinders sliding on said pistons, a main cylinder carried by said side cylinders and at right angles thereto, ports opening into said main cylinder and adapted to communicate with both the supply-ports and exhaustpo'rts in said stationary pistons, ports connecting said main cylinder with said side cylinders, a sliding piston in said main cylinder, and a suitable crank-shaft receiving motion from said sliding piston.

3. In an engine, a casing, ports formed in said casing, a steam-supply connected with said ports, pistons provided with ports, cappieces carried by said pistons and provided with ports communicating with the ports in said pistons, means for removably securing said cap-pieces to said casing to hold said pistons in position and to establish communication between the ports in said casing and the ports in said pistons, cylinders sliding on said pistons, a cylinder at right angles to said firstnamed cylinders, and a piston sliding in said latter cylinder.

4. In an engine, a suitable casing having supply ports or passages formed therein, removable stationary pistons adaptedto be secured to said casing and having supply-ports communicating with said first-named ports, exhaust-ports in said stationary piston and adjacent to said supply-ports, side cylinders sliding on said stationary pistons, a main cylinder carried by said side cylinders, ports opening into said main cylinders and'adapted to communicate alternately with the supply and exhaust ports in said stationary pistons, ports connecting said main and side cylinders, a sliding piston in said main cylinder, and a crank-shaft receiving motion from said sliding piston.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE DE CAMP. [L. s]

NVitnesses:

A. O. FOWLER, JOHN F. GREEN. 

